


The More Things Change

by coloredlights



Category: But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
Genre: F/F, M/M, Yuletide, challenge:Yuletide 2008, recipient:Measured
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-25
Updated: 2008-12-25
Packaged: 2017-10-21 15:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/226669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coloredlights/pseuds/coloredlights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Graham never thought she would be happy to be reminded of True Directions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The More Things Change

**Author's Note:**

> Written for measured in Yuletide 2008, December 2008.

Graham couldn't even remember all the times she had sat in a crowded bar just like this one, alone, nursing the same drink all night. She'd hated it every time, but at least every previous time she could blame it on having followed Megan to a tiny, miserable college town full of intellectual snobs, whitebread Midwestern know-it-alls, and girls even dykier than Graham herself (this last bothered her the most, though she'd never tell Megan). This time she was in an unimaginatively named bar in San Francisco, which was supposed to be where she belonged, right? And yet she was sitting, again, in a bubble of grouchy solitude amidst sweaty bodies and thumpy music.

Suddenly, the dim lights nearly went out altogether, and Graham almost paid attention until a spotlight swept the crowd and she realized it was only the start of the advertised drag performance. Every male head in the bar turned towards the runway-like stage, but Graham merely refocused her gaze into her whiskey sour. Some extremely campy music began drilling into Graham's eardrums - _if they play "I Will Survive," I may actually kill someone_ , she thought. At a cheer from the crowd, Graham glanced up - and found herself locking gazes with the man - _woman?_ \- onstage. The drag queen was well-built, black, and frighteningly familiar, except for an absence of facial hair. "Mike?" Graham heard herself saying out loud. He obviously recognized her and gave an elaborate wave with his feather boa, somehow managing to signal that she should stay there without missing a beat in his dance. Graham was so shocked she did exactly that, stayed on her bar stool until the last beats of the music faded away - when she realized they actually HAD played "I Will Survive."

A few minutes later, Mike - stage name Melanie - was at her side.

"Heeeeeey, girl!" he squealed, managing to turn the one-syllable greeting into about five syllables. Graham almost managed not to raise an eyebrow.

"Mike, wow. Of all the people I never thought I'd see in this city, much less in this bar." Graham raised her nearly-empty glass in a mock toast.

"Oh I'm here allll the time. I perform twice a week and bartend three other nights. When did you get into town? You here all by yourself?" He flagged the bartender and signaled for a drink.

"What happened to, y'know, being straight? Did you finally find your `true direction'?" Graham dodged Mike's questions with air-quotes. It was a handy trick.

"You know it! Actually it's a funny story - Rock found out about his dad and the next day, he asked me to run away to the good old City by the Bay with him. His dad helped us get set up, and now here we are! If you come back tomorrow, you can see him perform!"

Graham looked at him quizzically. "Rock's dad? Mary was...married?"

"Oh sure, she was. Apparently denial runs in the family, though, and the men get over it quicker than the women."

"Denial? Rock's dad is gay?" Graham grinned a little. That was pretty classic.

"Ooooh, honey. Victorian house in the Mission, couple of little fluffy dogs, rainbow flag out front, the whole shebang." Mike elbowed her not too gently in the upper arm. "Now what about you? Gotta say, of all the True Directions escapees, I thought you and Megan were the ones headed straight for the U-Haul rental, and yet you're sitting in my bar on your own."

"Oh, well. I'm kinda...on vacation. From life." Graham tried not to sound more bitter than usual.

"Uh-oh. What's this all about? Tell me the whole story - I don't even know what happened after you two left TD." Mike settled himself onto the newly-vacated stool next to Graham and adopted a serious pose.

"I mean, nothing that exciting. You know we left the graduation together," she ignored Mike's snort at her understatement, "and we stayed with Lloyd and Larry for a little while until Megan kind of patched things up with her folks. I figured I didn't even have a shot with mine, so we stayed with hers - her mom's all into the PFLAG thing now; it's really pretty funny. And then - I don't know, she went to college, I went with her, and it all pretty much sucked."

"What? It sucked? That sounds like the perfect set-up. How could it suck?" Graham found his shock at her failed relationship a little heartwarming in spite of herself.

"She had her classes, her friends, her queer theory and literary criticism and I don't even know what all. And I had this tiny-ass Ohio town and my crappy job in the coffee shop where all her brilliant friends hung out. Still sound so perfect?" Graham scowled at her drink. She was pretty sure Mike didn't know her well enough to recognize that she was trying not to cry. A large hand on her back proved her wrong.

"What about Megan? Were you happy with her?"

"Sure, when we were both around. But it's not like we really had much in common anymore. I mean, last week I think we ate a meal together once, and we lived in the same apartment."

Mike picked up on Graham's slip. "Last week? This was last _week_? Does she even know you're here?"

 _Shit_ , Graham thought. "Not exactly."

Mike just raised an eyebrow.

"Well, she knows I'm not there."

Mike exhaled in a loud sigh. "Oh, honey." He caught the bartender's attention and motioned for him to refill Graham's drink.

She let out a half-laugh. "Yeah, that was pretty much my plan too." This time they both raised their refilled glasses in a real, if sardonic, toast.

*****

Graham woke up the next morning in a room she didn't recognize. She sat up gingerly, recognizing the sensation of her head falling off as the usual aftermath of drinking too much. It took a few more moments before she remembered the circumstances, or where she was, or how she happened to be there. Once her fuzzy brain had managed to add all of the pieces together, she swung her feet to the floor, where they collided immediately with her shoes. She quickly took stock of her clothing - something she hadn't thought to do before - and was relieved to find the majority of it where it belonged. _Not that Mike would actually try anything._ The thought brought a smirk to her face, her head clearing enough to let some sense of humor return.

She opened the door and wandered into a short hallway which led directly to a kitchen and living room. As she stepped around the corner, she had to blink rapidly a few times. The dull roar that she had attributed to her hungover state turned out to have been music - frighteningly upbeat pop music, to which Rock was dancing around the kitchen, wearing an apron and holding a spatula. The scene reminded Graham so strongly of True Directions, and of seeing Rock working on the grounds and dancing whenever his mother wouldn't notice, that she had a moment of happiness (through her headache) that here he could dance as much as he wanted and no one would mind.

Rock saw her mid-twirl and stopped, grinning. "There you are! Want some eggs?"

Graham gave him a crooked smile. "Sure. Got any coffee?"

"Are you kidding? Who can live without caffeine?" He turned and poured a mug.

"I don't know; I'm not sure you need any extra energy."

A few minutes later, they were leaning on the kitchen island, eating scrambled eggs from the plates they held. Graham, feeling slightly more human, spoke first.

"So, thanks for this. It's been good to see you guys again. Never thought I'd be happy to be reminded of True Directions."

"You're telling me." Rock agreed, mouth half full.

Graham laughed at him. "Looks like some of your mom's training stuck - those are some pretty masculine table manners."

"Ooh, those are fighting words! Take a look around, though - I think you'll find my sense of interior decorating has developed since my days of dusting plastic flowers." Graham looked, and it was true. This was definitely the home of gay men.

The sound of voices at the front door caused both heads to turn. The door cracked open and Mike's head appeared around it. "Oh, you're awake!" he said, before opening the door the rest of the way and stepping through it to reveal the source of the other voice.

"...Megan?" Graham blurted before swallowing the food in her mouth.

"Now whose table manners are masculine," Rock muttered, but everyone ignored him.

"Hi," the newly-arrived blonde said, and though she waved at Rock, her eyes never left Graham.

"What - but - how did you get here? How did you even know where I was?" Graham may not have had her mouth full, but her ability to form full sentences had not quite returned. She turned to Mike and Rock. "What did you two do, get me drunk and then somehow magic her out here? It's a five-hour flight from Ohio!"

Megan set her duffle bag down just inside the door and closed the door behind herself. "I may have gotten someone to hack your email account, and I found the flight confirmation email. All I knew was San Francisco, but I had my flight booked before Mike called me."

"How did Mike get your phone number? No, wait, he took my phone while I was asleep, didn't he." Graham turned to glare at the two men, only to find that they had slipped out of the room unnoticed. "Well, _they've_ certainly gotten more subtle since True Directions," Graham muttered.

Megan took the remaining few steps across the room and took Graham's hands. "What was I supposed to do, just let you go?"

Graham looked down. "I didn't figure it would make that much of a difference."

"You are so silly. I came back for you before; of course I'd come find you again."

Graham raised her head and met Megan's eyes, and suddenly it was just like the moment at the graduation ceremony when they had both realized that they never wanted to take their eyes off of each other again. Graham smiled sheepishly, and although Megan didn't say anything, Graham could see her relief.

"So, I hear someone we know is in town with the tour of Spring Awakening. Anyone want to go?" Mike asked from the doorway, grinning knowingly at the two girls.

Graham and Megan looked at him and exclaimed, "Andre!" in unison, turning back to each other and laughing. Maybe not that much had changed since True Directions after all.


End file.
